Ben's Key
by Jimmy 144
Summary: Claudia and Myka set out to get another artifact.  After Reset, HG left behind a few other artifacts that have to be collected.  The team begins to track them down in Part I.  Chapter 4 posted. Getting Todd.  End of Part I.
1. Chapter 1 the First Ping

Let us do something, while we have the chance.

Just something for the fun of it. Hope you enjoy. Since we never throw anything away, I'm sure we have things that need to go into Warehouse 13, or maybe that's Dump 13. But no, I don't own Warehouse 13.

"What really matters is what you do with what you have."  
- H. G. Wells

Part I

Chapter 1—the First Ping

**Philadelphia**

The weather report was going on in the background. A green, orange, and red weather pattern was shown over all of Philadelphia. The Meteorologist said that the storm could last for another hour. There were numerous lightning strikes associated with the storm and flooding on some streets. The reporter on the street was just getting drenched. There were several lightning strikes and thunderous booms in the background.

Just a mile away, a lightning strike took out a transformer and the power on the buildings in the area went dark. The next strike went to the front door of one of the oldest banks in the city. There was another strike that was almost continuous. It shook the whole building. In another minute, a police cruiser pulled up to the front of the bank. The policemen did not have a chance to get out. A lightning strike hit the vehicle directly.

**Warehouse 13**

Artie was monitoring the display. "Okay, that's just not right."

Claudia was in a mischievous mood, "What, oh grand venerable elder of the warehouse?"

Artie took a swipe at her, "Lightning struck more than once."

"Oh wise and sage master, yes it does. I can show…" Claudia began while typing away at her laptop.

"Okay," Artie had a big smile, "But not four times in a row during the same storm. And don't start."

"Well, I agree four is a bit much." She closed the lid of the laptop. "What do you have?"

"The four strikes were at one of the oldest banks in Philadelphia. The bank was robbed. Money was taken and several safety deposit boxes were opened and emptied. We need to investigate," Artie said.

"Well, other than it sounds like an artifact is behind this, what else you got?" Claudia started.

Artie got out his Farnsworth, "Yeah Pete, we have a problem in Philadelphia we need you to check."

"Then buddy, you got a problem. I can hardly move. Whether I stand up or start to straighten out my leg…" Pete was explaining.

"Pete, Pete, it hurts when you straighten your leg and yet when you extend you hip, it does not hurt," Artie surmised.

"Yeah, yeah. That's right Artie. How do you know? Oh no, not the same thing?" Pete mumbled.

Claudia asked, "What about Myka?"

Myka had turned in her resignation the day before.

_The previous day…_

After Myka gave her resignation, Artie was back at the warehouse with Claudia and Mrs. Frederic. Claudia was still shocked that Myka was going to leave. She was trying to figure out what she could say to get her back. Myka had been there for her and she could not let her go. It seemed to her that Helena had fooled everyone. It was not Myka's fault. She even thought that MacPherson had fooled Artie. That's when it clicked. She smiled to herself. She turned to Artie, "Remember what I said before when you were looking at the spears?" Artie looked at her and squinted his eyes trying to decide what she was up to. He nodded his head that he did. "Okay then, I have decided that you are the one that needs to talk with Myka."

"Oh, you have?" Artie had no idea what Claudia was up to. "And why is that?"

"You had the same problem with MacPherson." She saw him start to say no, "He tricked you, like Helena did to Myka. And you were the one that gave her the most trouble over her support for Helena. You have to go talk with her."

"And why should I?" Artie retorted.

"Because I want you to. You're the best shot. If Pete hasn't convinced her by now, then nothing I say will. It has to be you. And if you don't convince her, well then I'll convince Mrs. Frederic that she is right and I can take her place. She'll be able to retire and enjoy the good life. And then guess what?" Claudia said with a mildly evil grin.

"Oh no you won't," Artie was about to burst.

"Arthur, it so happens I agree with Claudia." Mrs. Frederic smiled at Claudia, "You are the best person to talk with Myka. And I do want her back. Now go."

Pete had gone after Myka after she gave the letter to Mrs. Frederic. He met her at the B&B while she was packing. Pete was relentless. He pleaded with her over and over. He knew this assignment; their life would be over if Myka left. He was still going when Artie arrived.

After leaving the warehouse Artie stood in the door of the bedroom listening to the banter. He saw that Pete was trying everything.

Myka was taking everything in. It was important to her but none of it was the knife that cut into her heart. She no longer thought that they trusted her, and that trust had to come from them all, especially one of them. Then she saw him standing at the door. "Who sent you?"

Artie thought that the best thing was going to be the truth, "Claudia did. She wants you back. And Mrs. Frederic agreed. They both thought that I should talk with you and convince you to stay with us." He paused to let that set in, "And, so you know, so there is no doubt, I want you back. I realized that I was mean and my crusty old self. I still trust you and know that you have our backs. And we'll have yours. I really do want you to stay."

Myka was hesitant, "Really?"

"Yes, really. Helena tried to have Pete cut up into sausage by his girl friend. She did manage to cut him bad by driving Kelly away. And she knew what she was doing to you, and I can't let her drive you away. Myka, I need you to stay." Artie ended.

Myka lost all her air and sat on the bed. She nodded and was trying to hold back the tears. Pete sat beside her and put his arm around her.

Artie smiled, "Good, I'll let them know."

_The present day… _

"Claudia, you go back to the B&B and get packed. You'll go with Myka. Pete, you better stay there. I can get Vanessa, but it will be a few hours before she gets here. Have Leena check you now for a temperature. She'll know what to do to keep it in control until Vanessa gets here," Artie hung up.

"What, I am going as an apprentice again?" Then she realized, "Oh yeah, Vanessa is coming." She smiled. "Say I saw some artifacts from Casanova…"

"Out, out. The tickets will be ready for you at the airport." Artie was scooting her out the door.

Once she was out the door, Artie went back to the Farnsworth, "Hi, Vanessa. We got a problem. No, it's not me…"

**B&B**

"Pete!" Myka cried out. Pete had crumpled on the bed.

"Ah, ah, ah," Pete was moaning.

"Pete, is it getting worse?" Myka bent over and felt his forehead. When he did not respond, she called Leena.

Leena appeared in the doorway, "Hey, what's happening?"

Myka had her arm around Pete trying to get him off the bed, "It's Pete. He has Appendicitis."

Leena came over to the bed, "Pete, you probably won't like this. I know Artie doesn't, but after a minute it will feel better." She pulled a disc from her bag and waved it over his stomach. He doubled up harder and let out a low moan. Leena held up the disc to Myka.

Myka and Leena had just stepped out of a room and closed the door. Myka turned to Leena, "Artie said that Vanessa is on the way. She'll be another two hours. Here's her phone number."

Leena smiled, "It's okay. I gave him some painkiller. It should work."

Myka eyes twinkled, "That was the disc you used on the circus elephant the other day?"

"Yes, that seemed to work too," she smiled back. "I checked the area with the screening system that Vanessa left. She'll make it in time. Taking him down to the hospital in Miller's Crossing would be too long of a ride. We'll keep him here."

"Are you sure?" Myka asked.

"Yes, it's fine. Artie is here if I need any help. I am sure we can get him around." Then she smiled again, "And I still have the whip out back."

Claudia walked down the hallway at that point, "Okay, Pete, you and a whip, TMI, TMI." Claudia pointed to the door, "We have to get going, if we are to catch the flight Artie booked. Don't forget, if he starts giving you trouble, use the disc you used on the elephant that should keep him down." As Claudia headed for the door, both Leena and Myka were laughing.

**Philadelphia eBen Bank**

Claudia reached for the door of the bank, "You know that Artie has a mean streak. I mean who would book someone on a flight with two layovers and still not get them to their destination until 8:30 the next morning. That's just torture. And then, we have no time to stop at a hotel. No, we have to get right over to the bank. It isn't like it is going to move. And I bet that no matter how long we wait the money is not going to return."

"Claudia?" Myka was a bit perturbed.

"I know. I'll be quiet and take notes," Claudia got out her note pad.

Myka turned to her, "No, we don't need a note taker. We need you to be in this. But it has to be this, it can't be Artie, or the flight, or…"

"Got it, focus on the mission," Claudia smiled. Claudia pointed around the room, "Say, who are we going to talk to? It's all automated tellers."

Myka looked around in amazement. There had been a police patrol car out front where the blackened mark of the patrol car that got struck was evident. But there were no police or anyone else in the bank. Each of the stations that looked like it would have a teller had a big looking box that said e-teller on it. "Oh, they have to have something." They went around the corner of the row of teller machines and came to another, e-loans. "There's got to be someone?" They passed another four e-loan stations and came to a door at the end of the hallway. Myka knocked, and again knocked.

After a fairly long wait, an older gentleman came to the door. He was dressed in a dark business suit. He was fairly tall and thin. His hair was almost white, but had a little grey and black still there. Bowing to Myka and Claudia and waving them into the office, "What can I do for you ladies?"

Myka held up her Secret Service badge, "We came about the robbery last night."

"Oh, you don't think there was counterfeit money or plates in those safety deposit boxes, do you? I'll have to alert the staff," the man started to pick up a phone.

Claudia nodded at Myka, "Complete automation. They would need to implement special filters for the possible increase in the flow of counterfeit monies."

The old man turned around from the phone, "That's exactly right." He nodded his head at Claudia, "You're good. But you aren't here for counterfeit money, are you?" He gave Myka's badge back. "By the way I am Mister John Dawes. It is nice to meet you, Agent Bering. And you are?"

Claudia looked at the old man, "Sorry, Claudia Donovan."

"Yes, Claudia. How nice. What are you looking for?"

Claudia saw Myka wink at her and began, "We are here looking for the key the robbers use to get in the bank. They must have had something to direct the lightning strikes at the bank and then the police car. And then something to get through your vault and into the safety deposit boxes."

The old man looked at Claudia, almost staring at her, "You know that's funny. A key was the symbol of our bank. Our motto was, "No other Key can keep your money as safe as the First Key Bank of Philadelphia. But names and ownerships change. We are the Philadelphia e.e.e." He stretched out the 'e' sound, "Ben Bank. It's is suppose to show the next revolution in banking, all automated. Go Green as they say no paper copies." He shook his head in disgust. "You know, used to be that when you called your bank, Henry, or John, or even Betty would answer. Now, well, it's just ones and zeros that answer you back."

Myka looked at the picture on the wall in back of John. Her face lit up. It was a picture that reminded her of grade school science classes with old Ben Franklin and his kite with a key on the string. "That's it," she exclaimed.

Claudia looked at her and then the picture. She saw it and caught on immediately, "You don't happen to know who has the original key, do you?"

"You mean the key of our motto?" John asked.

Claudia pointed, "No, I mean the one from the painting."

"Oh, you know that's not real. If he really did do the experiment like it is shown in the picture, he would have been killed by the lightning strike," John explained like he was in a science class.

Claudia interrupted before he continued with the rest of the explanation, "So, was there a real key that went with the motto?"

John was taken aback a bit, "Well, yes. Like I said, it was real. It was over in the Franklin conservatory until last week."

Claudia was about to ask why it was in the Franklin conservatory. If it wasn't the key from the picture, then… But she decided as she saw Myka nod, that asking about where it was would be more important. "Do you know where it is now?"

"Sure, the Franklin conservatory, actually it's an old mint and now a museum, is two blocks down…" John began.

Claudia and Myka shook their heads. Myka spoke up, "No, we meant where is the key?"

"Oh, of course, the key. My son got it out. He was going to show it to the curator of the Mint," John answered.

"Okay, now we need the directions. Where is the curator?" Claudia asked.

"She was over at City Hall this morning. I saw her on the news. She was complaining to the Mayor about the lax security at her museum." He shrugged his shoulders, "She had been robbed. While we did not ask, I assumed the key was taken. She did not return it today, as she had promised."

Claudia smiled, "Could we go over and see her?" She winked at Myka, "Could you come along and introduce us?"

"Why certainly. I just have to lock everything." John said and then sat down. Myka was expecting him to get out a set of keys, but he sat in front of the computer screen and typed several commands, "Okay, I'm impressed." Claudia watched John for a second, "Did you set this whole thing up? The tellers, the loan stations, the whole thing is all yours."

"Exactly." He looked at Myka, "Said she was good."

Myka looked puzzled, "But you said you didn't like this. Is a real voice was better?"

"Hum, too much competition. We had to cut costs. When our last teller retired, we switched everything over." He typed in one more command. "Okay, all set. Ladies." He offered them his arms. They accepted and walked into the lobby of the bank.

Myka saw her first and immediately asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on the job," Mrs. Frederic looked at Myka and Claudia, "Why are you two here?" Then it came to her, "The lightning strikes, Artie sent you?"

Mrs. Frederic smiled at Claudia and then looked seriously at Myka, "I saw the news about the lightning strikes and the robbery. Have you tracked down the source?"

"No. We were just leaving to see if we could find it," she let go of John's arm. "Why are you here?"

"The, um, article I am to collect is in a safety deposit box," she held up a key.

"That key is for here. May I see it?" John offered his hand. "I am Mister John Dawes, the President of Philadelphia eBen Bank."

Mrs. Frederic gave the key to him.

John inspected it and then pointed to the engraving on the side, "That's for box 1749. I am sorry, but that is one of the boxes opened during the robbery. We can go check, but I am pretty sure that everything was taken."

Myka followed up, "What was in it?" She was not sure if she would get an answer, at least not here, but she wanted Mrs. Frederic to know that they needed answers and this was one of them.

"Oh, one of Helena's old games," Mrs. Fredrick gave in reply.

"HG Wells collector's edition, huh?" said John.

"Something like that," Mrs. Frederic acknowledged.

Claudia had been thinking the whole time. She had remembered looking up as much as she could about H.G. Wells. Then it hit her, "That battlefield strategy game, just a little war or something?"

"Precisely," she raised her eyebrow. Mrs. Frederic did not want to discuss it more here.

"It's a…" was all Claudia got out.

"Yes, and it's one of the things I have to find." She saw the look in both their faces, "I'll have to tell you when we get to the hotel."

"I can still show you to the box, that is if you ladies don't mind waiting a minute," John offered.

Myka agreed, "That will be fine. Do you just get the box? Or do we come with you?"

"Oh well, a little company is never something that I would turn down, especially when it's three lovely ladies." He bowed and then with a sweeping hand, "Please, this way."

They were in the vault in a second.

Claudia moved to look at the outside of the vault. There was still a sizable scorch mark on the lock. "Wow that looks like lightning hit here too."

John replied, "No. There was no lightning in the building. We looked at the surveillance cameras. They were on battery back up. The people who did this pointed something at the door. It burned and opened the lock. Actually, quite amazing," John added.

"I guess," Claudia looked for a way to measure the scorch mark.

John had gone to the wall and pulled the box out for Mrs. Frederic. He put it on the table in the center of the room. "Here you go," he began to open the lid. Seeing a small soldier he was about to put his hand in and get it out.

"No, wait please," Mrs. Frederic exclaimed. She put on her blue gloves, "Collector's edition. We have to keep the surfaces clean."

John backed away, "Right, of course. I'm sorry, should have known that." He watched as she picked up the piece and put it into a shiny silver bag. There was a little bit of a discharge.

Claudia watched and added, "A little static electricity." She thought John would understand and it would continue to keep the real problem under cover.

John saw it and nodded, "Right," he closed the box. "Do you still want to head over to Gloria's house?"

Claudia smiled. She was right. There was something between John and the curator. He even called her Gloria, something that had not been covered before.

"Yes," answered Myka.

"Mind if I meet you back at the hotel? I have some other things to attend to," Mrs. Frederic asked. Claudia and Myka nodded their understanding. She always had things to do.

John looked at her and winked, "Yes, I am sure we have more to talk about."

John showed them to the front door. "The limo is big enough for four. Can we drop you somewhere?" John asked Mrs. Frederic.

She saw her black car waiting for her, "No, I have a ride. Thank you." She got in the car and it drove off.

"A limo, sweet." Claudia took John's arm and headed to the door.

_A/N Hope this sparks a little interest. _

_Please review._


	2. Chapter 2 the Second Ping

Let us do something, while we have the chance.

Just something for the fun of it. Hope you enjoy. I still don't own Warehouse 13.

"What really matters is what you do with what you have."  
- H. G. Wells

Part I

Chapter 2—the Second Ping

**Philadelphia**

The weather report was going on in the background. The Meteorologist said the high for the day would be 80 degrees. It would be a clear day with little humidity. They were heading into fall. The only problem he noted was the pollen count was up and the News Reporter said that ragweed was out. Claudia watched the TV in the limo as they sped down the street.

Myka pulled her cell phone out of her purse. John was watching. Myka knew there was a question, "Pete, our partner, had appendicitis. Vanessa, our doctor, came and operated last night. Thought I would check to see if he was awake and how he was doing."

"Oh well, please give my regards. Hope he is doing well," John immediately said.

"Say hi for me," Claudia added.

"Oh hi Leena, is Pete still asleep? Oh sure, did everything go well? Really? Yeah, that's good. We are okay. Tell Pete hi for us when he wakes. Thanks, we'll see you later." Myka hung up. She looked at John and Claudia, "He's fine and asleep. Artie's out with Vanessa." Myka saw John's questioning look. "Artie is like our boss. But Mrs. Frederic is the big boss."

"Oh well, we are almost here. Her offices are on the sixteenth floor," John was watching out the window.

"So she was to return the key, but has not?" Claudia asked. Claudia was still trying to figure out all of the connections. She really did want Myka to be impressed.

"Yes, generally Gloria is really prompt about bringing things back and doing everything on time. Last she said was that she misplaced it," John replied.

"I'm sorry, it's Gloria?" she looked at him to fill in the rest.

"Gloria Swan. She is very precise and exact." John opened the door of the limo, "Well, here we are. Watch your step getting out." He got out first and then held the hand of each of the ladies getting out of the limo. He pointed and then with Claudia and Myka on each arm, he led them into the building.

They got off the elevator on the sixteenth floor and went across the hall through double glass doors. The receptionist, a younger woman, said, "Welcome Mr. Dawes. Here to see Miss Swan?"

"Yes Judi, is she available?" John replied.

Claudia was watching this exchange while looking at the new weather report on the screen beside the reception room's couch. Apparently the weather was changing from when they were in the car, the weatherman was pointing to a storm line that was coming into Philadelphia. "Well, that's different." Claudia looked over at Myka and then the TV. "We need to be ready. It could be used as soon as the storm rolls in."

Myka picked up on that. She held up her hand and motioned to John, "I have to make a phone call. I'll be right back." She stepped out into the hallway and got out her Farnsworth. She hesitated calling, knowing that Artie would be upset that Mrs. Frederic was there. She winced as the Farnsworth activated and Artie was on the other end, "Hi Artie."

"What is it?" Artie's face filled the screen.

"There is a storm coming," Myka started.

"Well, it does rain there," Artie joked.

"Artie, the weather report just ten minutes ago was for a clear day. Now, there is a massive storm rolling into the city. Can you use the Warehouse to monitor the storm?" she asked.

Claudia had come out to get her. Gloria had come to the lobby and was waiting for them. She walked over next to Myka, "As soon as you see two strikes at the same place, we need to know where." She saw him pause to think about it, "The weather service, electrical activity, it should give you the points of the strikes in real time."

"Got it. Anything else?" Artie asked.

"Well, our next interview is waiting for us. And Mrs. Frederic was at the bank." Myka said. They saw his face look surprised.

"Yeah, she was looking for a game called Little War. Got any idea why?" Claudia asked.

"Got to go," Myka closed the Farnsworth. She looked at Claudia, "Don't do that to me or else. But we do need to find out what is happening before we talk to Artie again."

Claudia nodded and they went into the reception room.

John made the introductions. Gloria asked, "Are you looking for the key?"

Myka replied, "Yes, we believe that it is linked to the robbery at John's bank. I take it that you don't have it?"

"No, we have been through everything. I thought I had misplaced it, but we checked everywhere. It is not here or at the house," Gloria responded almost hesitating when she spoke.

Claudia thought there was more and continued the questions, "Is there a 'but' to this? I mean there is something else that happened?"

Gloria nodded, "I still can't believe it happened. There was a break in here at the Mint." She shook her head, "No one has ever gotten through our security. We have no video or record of them getting through security. But we are sure they got in, two molds are gone. We lost two sets of the gold coin molds, and we have assumed that they took the key."

Claudia cocked her head in amazement. This was a mint with all the security. There had to be more, "They got through everything and made it into your vault?"

Gloria pointed to another room, "No, we had the molds in for cleaning. They were in the clean room. The key was there going through the final restoration, as we had discussed. Or at least that's where I thought it was. We checked everywhere."

John interrupted, "It will be fine Gloria. Don't worry. I am sure these ladies can find it. And your molds too. I mean, we can't have any counterfeiting and that's their original job."

"Right, I am sure that we will be able to restore your belongings. Can you show us your security system?" Claudia asked.

"Certainly, the first part is here it the receptionist's desk. Judi, could show you," Gloria pointed to the computer screen.

Myka agreed, "Yes. Claudia, can you check the computer system?"

"Sure, can do." Claudia went around the desk. Judi moved out of the way. Claudia started typing and watching the display. She watched Judi occasionally. Claudia thought she looked nervous, she kept checking her purse.

Myka followed Gloria and John into the cleaning room. Gloria walked over to a workbench. "This is where the molds were being cleaned. The key was sitting next to them. For security purposes, the bench weighs the material that is on the table." When Myka gave a blank response, Gloria continued. "We weigh the table contents because there could be gold residue or other precious materials on the items being cleaned. We want to make sure that we can collect the remnants, shavings, or dust from the cleanings. The weight is included in the security system so we have a record of when something was put on the bench and taken off. But in this case the weight of the molds and the key are missing."

At the same time as Gloria said that Claudia came around the corner, "Say, did you know that someone changed the data of the weights on that table. They tried to make it look like the molds were never there."

Myka smiled, "Can you tell when it happened?"

"Yes, it was the morning of the robbery at John's bank. They took the key off the table first, then the molds. There was a decent attempt to erase the files. But there are two backups, one on site and on off site. They missed the second off site backup." Claudia had thought there was something strange about this. Judi had acted strange the entire time, almost like she was trying to hide something. But Claudia wanted to wait until she could talk with Myka and not have Gloria or John around. She smiled at Myka trying to get her attention.

"Well, we had thought it was the night before. So much for what we and the police could find," Gloria shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't worry dear. They'll find everything," John said.

Myka asked, "So did you get anything else?"

"The video was on-line during the whole thing, but the video does not show anyone putting the molds or the key on the table. It was erased. It shows an empty room the entire time," Claudia answered. Claudia looked at the windows of the lab room. They were being pelted by rain and it seemed to be getting heavier by the second.

Myka turned to Gloria, "Can you tell us who has been here the last two days?"

Gloria looked puzzled, "It has just been Judi and I."

"Then I guess we need to talk with Judi a little," Myka said.

Judi walked into the room with her arm pointed at them, "There won't be any need. You see I have had it with those two and now it's time to end it." She started to raise her hand and the key became visible. The hail from outside was now battering the window and finally shattered it.

Claudia was already nervous about Judi. Claudia had her hand on her Tesla when she walked into the room earlier. She surprised herself at the speed at which she had it out and pointed at Judi.

The 'shots' were simultaneous. The lightning ball filled the room. Judi's face shook as the sparks of electricity arched across her body. Claudia's eyes closed as her face showed the initial pain spreading across her body. The lightning bolt finished its flash showing the arch through from the lab equipment behind Judi through her body and out the broken window. When the flash ended, everyone in the room was down.

Myka opened her eyes and quickly took stock of herself. It was far more powerful than she expected. She saw Gloria lying next to her. She did not seem to be breathing. Myka got on all fours and went the couple feet to Gloria. She could barely feel a pulse and Gloria was not breathing. She cleared a passageway and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Next she did the same with John.

Myka looked up. Claudia had not come over to them. She had fallen on the other side of a lab bench that blocked her view. Myka screamed her name and ran to the other side of the bench. Claudia had fallen back. Myka checked for a pulse and began the resuscitation.

John looked over and saw Claudia on the floor, "Take the key and push it at her heart."

Myka looked at him like he had gone mad, "What?" Then she understood. There would be enough of a charge to act as defibrillator. She got the key from Judi's hand. Holding the key above Claudia's chest, she pushed the key to Claudia's chest. There was a large pulse of electromagnetic energy and Claudia's body tightened in reaction. She gasped and then coughed. Her body went limped but Myka checked and Claudia was breathing.

Myka went to Judi. There were severe burn marks up her arm and chest where she held the key. Myka looked to John and shook her head.

John nodded, "We'll need to get Claudia to a hospital. And we should have Gloria checked."

Just then the Farnsworth rang. Myka pulled it out and answered, "Hi Artie."

"There was a double hit at the Franklin conservatory. It's the old mint at the corner…" Artie paused to look at the computer screen.

"We know Artie. It was us," Myka answered.

"What do you mean it was us?" He saw the distressed look in Myka's face. "Are you alright?"

John was on the phone at the other side of the room. He and Gloria were yelling into the phone, "We were hit by lightning. One person is dead and another seriously injured. The rest of us were knocked out by the lightning."

"I heard that. What happened? Who is injured?" Artie added.

Myka was trying to hold back the tears, "Claudia is unconscious. She was hit by the lightning as the key was pointed at her." Myka remembered the scene as it flashed before her, "Claudia fired her Tesla at the same time. She saved us Artie. I'll call back." She closed the Farnsworth.

John yelled, "Yes, we'll leave the line open and have someone out front to escort them up." He put the phone down and shook his head, "Maybe the automatic system is better." He walked over to Myka. "The Fire Department Medics are on their way. I'll have Henry, our driver, show them up." He pulled out his cell phone. He found that it was working and he made the call to Henry.

Myka moved over to Claudia. She was checking her.

John came over and gave her a tin box, "I suspect her burns will need some ointment. Use this and please don't let the firemen know."

Myka opened the box and used the pad from it to rub across the injuries. The blisters on Claudia's hand started to go down. Her hand was still red. She pulled off the jacket and blouse and covered Claudia with ointment from the pad. "You know about artifacts…" Myka began.

"Yes," John held up his hand, "It's helped me out of some tight spots before. I'll explain later, but she is not coming out of this. We need to do something else."

Myka pulled out her Farnsworth again. "Artie, we used the key to jumpstart Claudia's heart. She is breathing and her pulse is back. But she still isn't awake."

John stepped up, "Tell him you put the key next to her heart. See if he can find out anything else."

Myka relayed the information, "Artie, is there anything else we can do?" She heard in the background, "Use the key to unlock her mind." She was surprised. It almost made sense, "Pete, was that you?"

John heard it too, "That's right. It should work."

Myka looked at John, "Just who are you?"

"A retired Regent," he said in a whisper to her ear.

Myka took the key and put it to the temple of Claudia's head. She turned it and saw a spark. "It worked," she said as Claudia again gasped and opened her eyes. "Hey you. How do you feel?"

In the background she could hear, "Score another for Pete." She wasn't going to let that one go, even if John agreed to do it. "Pete, Pete that can't be right. You don't use a key to unlock a person's mind. That's ridiculous."

"It worked. Score for the Pete," Pete called out over the Farnsworth.

Claudia was smiling at the banter. "Okay, did I combusted that time?" Claudia asked. She remembered back to the wrestlers and her falling into the vat of Boiling Point. It did feel like she was on fire.

"Well, almost." Myka had a tear in her eye and gave Claudia a hug.

"She was…" Claudia started.

"We know. You saved us all," John looked at her smiling. "You're awfully young for this."

"Yes, we know. But she is one of us," Myka smiled back at her.

"And maybe a bit more," John whispered. He moved back when he saw Henry and the Fire Department Medics come into the room.

"Artie, it worked. We'll talk with you later. We have company." Myka closed the Farnsworth and let the medics check Claudia and the others.

Later at the hotel Claudia and Myka were sitting at the table in Claudia's room. Claudia looked around the room again, "John sure does know how to pick hotels. This is sweet." She admired the Ritz-Carlton furnishings in the hotel's executive suite.

Myka looked at Claudia, "So, are you okay? I mean you were hit by lightning."

"Actually, I think the Tesla had an effect on that. Without any measurements to verify it, I think the Tesla worked like a nulling agent on the lightning." Claudia turned her laptop display to Myka, "Just like at home. I remembered one of the artifacts did something like that. Here it is a model of the interaction. Tesla, himself, had hypothesized that there were be a null reaction." She looked at her hand, "But I still got burned."

"Well, Artie did call us because there were two strikes. Maybe after you stopped the first one, she fired again," Myka offered.

"I guess I'll remember to fire until they are down. Pete said something like that but I did not understand," Claudia shrugged. She moved the laptop around and entered a few more strokes on the keyboard. Happy with what she had, she turned it back, "This is what Mrs. Frederic was looking for." The game, Little War, was displayed on the screen. "What does it do?"

Mrs. Frederic surprised them, "It wins wars. If you control the game, it will control the outcome of battles and then the war." John and Mrs. Frederic had entered the room.

_A/N Please review._


	3. Chapter 3 the Third Ping

Let us do something, while we have the chance.

Just something for the fun of it. Hope you enjoy. I don't own Warehouse 13.

"What really matters is what you do with what you have."  
- H. G. Wells

Part I

Chapter 3—the Third Ping

**Philadelphia**

Mrs. Frederic and John had just entered Claudia's room at the hotel. Mrs. Frederic walked to the table where Claudia and Myka were sitting. John was behind her watching the interaction and smiling. Mrs. Frederic looked Claudia over, "So, are you alright?"

Claudia was a bit hesitant thinking that something had gone wrong and they were in trouble. Her mind was racing to figure this out. What had she missed? She went through the events and then saw it. The TV was on again. The weather report had started. "Yeah, I am fine. We got the key, but did not get the weather artifact. And while you have a piece from the game, you do not have the set. Sorry."

John smiled from behind, "See, told you."

Mrs. Frederic nodded at what John said. "Well, good summary."

Myka was still amazed at the discussion. Pete had more interaction with Mrs. Frederic than she did and Myka was still a little in awe of her. But she had to know. Myka asked, "What weather artifact?"

Claudia shrugged, "The key has to have a strong weather pattern, thunderstorm, in the area for it to work." She was watching John and saw that she was right. "So, there has to be an artifact to control the weather. Something we have not seen yet." Thinking back to the picture of the key, she added, "But it could be as simple as a kite." She saw John smile broadly. "It is the Kite." She reached up and pulled down the ring, "Yes, got it."

Claudia looked up at John a little suspiciously, "You said Helena when we were talking about HG Wells. Myka said you were a Regent. Something is different here. When you were a Regent, you did not have everything put into the warehouse, did you?"

"That's right. After the beginning of World War II we determined that pieces which could be world changing would be hidden elsewhere. We spent most of the war fighting off Hitler's agents. They were after artifacts in a big way and especially the ones that could be world changing. H.G. Wells' game was determined to be one of those things. We could not let Hitler's men get her game; they could have changed the result of the war by winning each battle based on the results of the game.

"The Kite is another artifact that could have changed things. When it is used correctly, it can call in a hurricane. We found a connection to the hurricane back in 1812. The target was the British fleet. While that target was missed, the British troops suffered enough damage that they withdrew. The weather in the World War II Pacific Theater was nasty in its own right; imagine if the Japanese admirals had been able to throw typhoons against the American fleet." John shook his head.

Claudia nodded, "I believe we have just discovered the key can be a changer too. It can potentially unlock anything." She paused, "So, why do you still have it?" Then she looked at John, "Who are you, John?"

Myka smiled. She thought Claudia was on to something. She told Claudia that John was a retired Regent. But Claudia was right; he was still actively involved. "You're more than just a retired Regent. Why are you still involved?"

John looked at Mrs. Frederic, "You did good. They are smart. Especially…"

Mrs. Frederic slightly nodded and said, "You'll need to know. We now think that Helena was working a backup plan to destroy the Earth. While she was loose and then while she was working with us, she began to locate several of the world changing artifacts. There are two sets of these artifacts. The Custodian of Set E had just passed away."

John chimed in, "The circumstances of his death are still under investigation. Our controls did not work with his passing."

Before Claudia asked another question, Mrs. Frederic went on, "John is a retired Regent and as a Custodian is in charge of Set A. We would have had someone else ready to assume the control of the Set E artifacts, but the Custodian's passing was too quick."

"So you don't know where he had them stored?" Claudia turned to see Mrs. Frederic's head nod. She had been working on finding the partner since John mentioned him. She was looking for someone from WWII and who had passed with unknown circumstances. She turned the laptop around again, "John, was Tim Crotchet your partner?" The page showed an article in the London Times. It was the obituary of Tim Crotchet, the owner of Barkley's Jewelers in London. It contained a long list of awards and his service record.

"Yes, and that's him. He was a Regent. We fought many battles side-by-side," he looked down at the article.

Claudia tilted her head and looked at Mrs. Frederic, "Why are you here?"

Mrs. Frederic answered, "I came to get the game. I thought I would need it to get the next artifact."

"So, what artifact are you after?" asked Myka.

"Wait a minute, there's more to this." Claudia smiled at Myka. She held up her hand in the same way she did when asking Artie and Mrs. Frederic. "You are going to make me ask?"

"No, not now. We believe Helena was able to obtain several of the artifacts using the formula for invisibility. She hid it in the locket behind the picture of her daughter. The formula is the written formula. Apparently it has retained some artifact characteristics and can turn someone invisible. The user just needs to rub a little of the ink from the formula page onto their skin. Then, they disappear."

"Wait, I remember that story. Didn't that cause insanity in the user?" Claudia asked.

John sadly nodded his head. "That's one of the reasons she wound up in the bronze hall. She was more than a little off by the time they were able to take her," John added. "The men who robbed her cousin's home were in custody. Actually, they were in one of Britain's more secure facilities at the time. I reviewed the records. They were killed over the period of a month. Each day they were inflicted with a more painful injury. The doctors believed that as soon as they woke from whatever unconscious period they had, another trauma would be inflicted. The prisoner would have a new wound. Generally, there was a cry of pain from the prisoner that continued until he passed out."

Claudia remembered the scary part of the story that Helena told when Pete and Myka went back in time. Helena had implied the robbers suffered the worst pain a person could go through. Helena's face was a little frightening at the time.

John continued, "At the end she was quite insane. She killed everyone at the prison and left a note, 'In payment for prolonging their lives.'" John watched as both Claudia and Myka put their hands to their face. "I am sorry. From her records, she was a very bright and able apprentice when she started at Warehouse 12." He shook his head. "I think she started to use it again after she was freed from the bronze hall."

"Fortunately, when they took her to the facility this time, the locket opened and the corner of the formula was visible. I have the formula now." Mrs. Frederic said.

"Why? Do you need invisibility?" Myka asked.

"This is Adwin Kosan's plan. It may sound complicated, but it really is quite simple. We need to obtain the final weapon. A terrorist in the Middle East has the weapon. We need the game to defeat his armies, then the invisibility to get through his guards," Mrs. Frederic said.

"You're going to make us ask?" Myka said this time.

"Well, there are some nasty artifacts out there. The one she is talking about is H.G. Wells' predecessor to the atomic bomb." John saw Claudia, "Yes, my dear, there were several scientists working on a bomb back then. We had found the one in question. It is an artifact of sorts. Our scientists back then confirmed it was real and based on one of her early designs. The difference is that instead of a split second reaction, hers would keep on exploding. The weapons specialists said that it would be great for a deeply buried target, but the side effects are disastrous. The radiation cloud would continue to be made while the bomb exploded." John paused and seemed to be thinking back to that time, "We were in the middle of transporting it to a safe location when the transport plane when down over North Africa. I never found out if they were shot down or whether there was someone who purposely sabotaged the flight. Adwin believes the crash site was discovered after the death of my partner, Tim."

Mrs. Frederic continued, "We obviously must get this artifact back. Adwin believes that retrieving the weapon is worth the use of any artifact. After seeing the key's capabilities, if we can find the kite, I would think it would come in handy."

Myka was watching John at that point, "You don't agree with this. Do you?"

"No, using an artifact to get an artifact always carries a risk. Most often it is the simple exposure of the local people to the power of an artifact. In history, you'll find that leads to some nasty fairy tales or some significant religious event. We never used them in World War II because it would have led to more pressure by the Axis to find something that was real instead of a fairy tale. And with the radicals out there today, their discovery of something like these artifacts would be world changing. Exactly what we are trying to prevent," John concluded.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Claudia asked.

At that point Artie walked in the door of their room, "A good question."

"Arthur, I am glad you could join us," John held out his hand to shake Artie's. They embraced patting each other's back.

The girls watched the exchanged and waited. "Artie how's Pete?"

"Fine, he regrets that he could not be here." He moved to Mrs. Frederic and asked, "Have you decided on an approach?"

"Yes, first we have to gather up the game and weather artifact. Myka and Claudia will continue their investigation. John, will you be available to assist them?" Mrs. Frederic asked.

"Certainly," he went over to the other chair and sat down.

"Artie, I want you to go over to England and see if you can pick up the trace on where the other artifacts are stored. If you don't find the artifacts or trace of the other artifacts within the week, we'll come back to discuss our options," Mrs. Frederic finished.

Before the girls could turn to see, Mrs. Frederic was out the door along with Artie. John smiled at the girls, "It's good to see that things have not changed. Now what can I do to help?"

Myka was twirling a pen in her hand and still thinking about what had been said, "I have several questions, as does my young apprentice." She smiled at Claudia who nodded. "But I think we better spend our time finding the two artifacts. We'll need to go check Judi's place. If that does not turn up anything, we'll need to go back to the Mint and see if the tapes show us anything about who was visiting Judi."

"That sounds fine. I'll have Henry bring the car around. But I thought we came over to the hotel so that Claudia could get a little rest," John said. He turned and called Henry.

Before Myka or Claudia could say anything Myka's Farnsworth rang. Myka answered, "Yes?"

"Make sure Claudia gets at least a night's rest before she goes out again." Artie's face disappeared from the display as he hung up.

"Well, it is nice to see that he is so concerned," Claudia quipped.

"Yeah, well, you do need to take a rest," Myka got up and started to gather her things to head out the door.

John held out the little tin, "If there is a burn mark that was missed put a little of this on. Just a fine layer should do."

John and Myka headed out the door. Claudia was left at her computer. She continued to work on the Tim Crotchet information and links to Helena. She figured that if there where other artifacts that Helena was after, she might be able to identify some of them. She decided to get a little help. Getting out her Farnsworth, "Hey Pete. How are you doing? Can you get over to the warehouse?"

Myka and John got in the limo. Myka felt like she was being pushed against the seat as they rocketed down the streets to Judi's place. She looked over at John, "Do you know anything about Judi?"

"No, not too much. She started working for Gloria about six months ago. Other than being a seemly good receptionist, I don't know anything about her. I got this address from Gloria. She said she had never visited Judi there," John replied.

"Does Gloria know what we do?" Myka continued.

John looked a little surprised at the question, "I'd say so. She is my wife and a retired warehouse agent." He turned to look out the window. "She was an agent back at the end of the war. We finally got together in the late fifties and married in '59. Her place was supposed to be as secure as the bank. That's why we sent the key over to be refurbished."

"You sent an artifact over to be refurbished? Isn't that a little dangerous?" Myka asked.

"Well, you'll probably realize by the time we get done. I hide things in the open. The key does not work without a storm, so without the weather artifact, it's actually pretty safe. Now we do have some security for it. After all it is the key of the bank. The key was over at Gloria's because we were going to use it in our anniversary presentations."

Myka thought about that for a bit, "So, people know or assume that the key is the one from the picture?"

"Oh, it is the key from the picture. Old J.I Murphy did a good job with the illustration that appears in reproduction at the bank and in many school history books. The key happened to be his. He used it in the painting and then passed it on in his family. The owners of the bank came across it and bought it back in the 1850s. It was recognized as an artifact around 1870 and included in Warehouse 12. Helena took it out. We never did confirm whether she used it, but when she was bronzed; the piece was given to the bank by mistake. I found it hanging on a hook in the Bank President's office when I took over." He was almost laughing at that point.

The limo slowed and parked in front of a tall apartment building. Henry came around and opened the door. John got out and then held his hand for Myka. They went in the apartment building and proceeded to Judi's apartment on the tenth floor. There was a police tape and both plainclothes and uniformed police around the apartment.

Myka held out her badge and the uniformed policeman waved her and John into the apartment. One of the plainclothes detectives finally came over, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"We thought this might be related to the bank robbery. We're here to see if there is anything that matches. We'll stay out of your way and just be looking," Myka waited for his reply.

"Help yourself," and the man turned and walked away.

"Are they always that friendly?" Myka commented.

"Generally, they step aside for the Feds. Sort of like being from the IRS in a small town," John chuckled.

Myka smiled sweetly and turned to start their search. After going through two rooms she was walking down the hall in the apartment and thought back to what Claudia had said. She realized that the weather artifact, the Kite, had to be used or flown when they got to Gloria's Mint. She started looking at the pictures that were hung in the hall. There were several with Judi and a young boy. Most of the photos were from scenes outside. She pointed to the pictures.

John said, "You better ask. If there is a boy involved, they have some fairly strict rules about talking with juveniles."

Myka understood. She went to the detective, "Excuse us. Have you been able to determine whether Judi had a son?"

"Yes, the boy lives with his father over in Wynnefield by the park. We were just over there. If you want to talk with the boy, you'll need to go through our Juvenile department and the father will probably ask for a lawyer," the detective explained.

"Well bingo, kind of," Myka was happy at the discovery. "The Kite and a park are so obvious. And the boy would only know to fly the kite. Let's go over and talk with the father."

Back at the hotel Claudia just could not get to sleep. The burns were causing too much discomfort. She put the ointment that John left on her hand, arm, and shoulder. Then she took a couple of Motrin tablets. Finally she gave up and went back and opened her laptop. She decided to track down a little on Judi. She quickly came across the court case for custody and the address of the father. By then she had turned the TV back on and seen that the weather report showed another storm coming into town. On a whim, she looked up traffic cameras and found that there were surveillance cameras in the park next to Judi's ex-husband's house. She was flipping through the coverage and saw the image of a boy flying a kite in the background. As she was going through the camera pictures to find a better view she grabbed the Farnsworth and called Myka.

"Hey, thought you were going to bed?" Myka answered.

"Yeah well, it was still burning and I couldn't get to sleep," Claudia answered. "I found Judi's boy. He is at the park across from his father's house flying a kite." Claudia continued to flip through the cameras and had the camera at the intersection. Then she saw him. Her heart almost came into her throat. Todd was walking across the street. She was sure it was him. Myka was in the background asking some questions but Claudia was concentrated on the new target. Claudia finally said, "Okay, see you," and hung up.

Claudia tried to get a clear view of Todd and followed him to the door of a house next to the father's. She saw him go in. There were two men walking with him. Each had one of Todd's arms. Her mind was a whirl. She knew he had to be protected, but she did work for the Warehouse and was a Secret Service agent. Okay, well at least in training. She was determined to see him. She scrambled to get dressed and checked the Metro for the best ride to the park. Finding the best routes and stops she copied it to her desktop and finished dressing. Then she looked at her Tesla. To say that it was non-functional was a mild description. It looked like something that Pete had left in the microwave a little too long. She thought that the only thing worth salvaging might be the power cell, but that was probably melted too. She looked around the room to see if there was any other option. She was becoming more and more anxious about getting to Todd. The key was in the containment bag on the dresser. There was no way that she was going to leave it there. She put it in her pocket and headed out the door.

_A/N Please review._


	4. Chapter 4 the Fourth Ping

Let us do something, while we have the chance.

Just something for the fun of it. Hope you enjoy. I don't own Warehouse 13.

"What really matters is what you do with what you have."  
- H. G. Wells

Part I

Chapter 4—the Fourth Ping

**Philadelphia**

Claudia got down to the lobby. She had been torn about calling Myka and finally decided that it would be best that she know. But Claudia was determined to see Todd and make sure he was okay. After tossing it over and over in her mind on the way to the lobby, she opened the Farnsworth and called, "Myka." At that point she was not sure.

Myka was on her way down to the limo when Claudia called again, "Something happen with the boy?"

"No," Claudia decided to go fast. "I saw Todd at the corner in one of the camera shots. There were two men with him. He looked like he was in trouble. I am heading over to check it out."

Myka did not like this. There were too many variables. "Claudia, where was this at?"

"Just at the corner of the park, basically it is a couple houses away from the boy," Claudia answered while trying to come up with a plan. "I can meet you at the corner."

Myka agreed, "Okay, see you there." She looked at John and began the explanation of Todd and Claudia.

John was concerned, "She's right. There could be something wrong. I have worked with the U.S. Marshals before. They don't generally have two people with a witness. It is too obvious. They would stand out too easily."

"Then we better get over there," Myka started walking to the door of the apartments.

Claudia was surprised that she got to the corner first. Her Metro connections were waits less than a minute and it seemed there were no red lights today. She looked around and saw the boy. He still had his kite in the air, but looked like he was trying hard to reel it in.

"Hi, having problems with your kite?" Claudia walked over to him.

The boy was frustrated. He was reeling in as fast as he could and then moving to a new position and letting some string out so that the kite eating trees did not get the kite. "Yeah, my Dad's home. They said I had to be home by six. I am already late," the boy said. He seemed a little nervous.

Claudia smiled at him, "Well, I have to stick around for a while. I am waiting on some friends." She paused and looked at him. She just could not get herself to take the kite from the boy. Yes, it was an artifact. She held out half of her cash, "I would be happy to buy your kite."

The boy looked at the money she had in her hand, "Sure, I'm tried of flying this kite. They said I had to get home." The boy took the money and put it in his pocket. He went running off to his house.

Claudia smiled. She was happy it was that easy. She was surprised at the kite and how easy it was to control it. She decided to keep it flying. Her position allowed her to watch the house where Todd was being held.

In a second, the limo pulled up. Myka and John got out and went over to Claudia. Myka pointed, "Is that it?"

"Yeah, the boy was anxious to get home. I bought it from him," Claudia smiled. "If I reel it in, can we go check on Todd?"

Myka smiled at her, "Certainly. Bring it in and we'll put it in the limo."

Claudia continued to reel it in and avoided the trees. Myka and John watched across the street. Another car pulled up to the house. Four more men got out and went in.

Claudia saw it, "Okay, that can't be good." She finished reeling it in and took the strut out so the Kite could be folded. After putting it in the limo, Henry drove down the block.

Claudia looked at Myka, "So, how do we do this?"

"We watch the place and call the U.S. Marshals," Myka replied.

"And how is that going to work? Hi, I am, pick one of us. I am with the IRS? With eBen Bank? A tourist? We have spotted a person in your witness protection program. His cover name is Todd. No, I don't know what his real name is or what name he is using now." Claudia shook her head, "They're not going to give us anything except a ride to the nearest interrogation room."

John spoke up, "She's right. They'll ask a bunch of questions we cannot answer. We either do something or walk away."

"Look there are at least six men in there, besides Todd. We'd have no chance," Myka complained.

At that moment the four men came out of the front door of the building. They were half way down the steps, when Todd was brought out in hand cuffs by the other two men.

Todd called out, "Claudia, get down! They're mob!" The man on Todd's right swung around and hit him in the stomach. Todd buckled over and fell to the steps. The four men on the stairs pulled out a variety of weapons, started shooting and ran for the car.

Claudia, Myka and John got down. Claudia pulled out the key and pointed it at the car. It took a second. She could feel the static electricity flowing though her and knew her hair was standing up. The lightning bolt struck the car a split second latter.

Myka had her Tesla out and was looking at Claudia. The bullets from across the street had stopped. Her bigger surprise was looking at John. He had an old Army Officer's Colt .45 in his hand.

The men at the car did not make it. Todd and the other two were down. Claudia ran across the street to Todd and began to check on him. Myka came up next and found a pulse in the other two and hand cuffed them.

John came around the car and called up to the girls, "We got company."

A man with a shotgun was coming down the street. "Put down you weapons." He watched Myka slowly put the Tesla down on the ground. Then John took out his clip and held it up. He started to bend down. "Take out the key and put it on the ground. And tell me where the kite is. Do it now!" The man straightened and started to bring the shotgun up to fire.

John held out his Colt and shot. The shotgun threw out of his hands and he fell to the ground. Henry came up from behind holding what looked like a tranquillizer gun. John nodded and said, "You know, we need to get that other tranquilizer. This just isn't working as fast." Both Claudia and Myka were amazed at what just happened. "Henry, handcuff him and put him in the back of the limo. Claudia is your young man able to join us in the limo?"

Claudia had gotten Todd to stand, "Yes."

John waved to her to take him. "Myka, make sure we know who these gentlemen were. Get a picture of them and any IDs they have. I am sure the police will be here any second now. Henry will take care of them and this problem. We are going to pay a visit to Judi's house."

Claudia and Todd were in a tight embrace. Myka was sure they were about to press their faces into each other. "Excuse us; we still have a job to finish."

Claudia managed to break away, "Yeah, what happened?"

"I was here for a pretrial hearing. Something happened and the Marshal that was coming to pick me up never showed. I went to the alternate pick up point and the mob found me on the way." He kissed her again, "And it was good that you found me. They were looking for a bucket and cement when we left the house." He went back to it.

"Certainly is persistent. Claudia, we will need you at the house. Todd can stay here with the limo. He'll be fine. Henry will be able to watch him." John reached into the trunk of the limo. He got out a Glock with a silencer. "This is the easiest to use. If you have to, just pull the trigger." He gave it to Claudia.

She took it, set the safety, released the clip and ejected the cartridge in the chamber. Putting that back in the clip and putting the clip in place, she looked at Myka, "Don't ask. I am ready."

Todd's mouth dropped open. This time Claudia reached over and kissed Todd. Then she moved over to John, "Okay."

The side door to the house was open. When they got to the door, John had his Colt out and ready. Myka looked at him like he was crazy. John smiled, "That was not the husband. Careful we don't know who is in the house, other than the boy." He put a silencer on the Colt.

John started first. The doorway led to the kitchen. It was empty and looked like it had not been used in a while. Myka went over to the study. No one was there. John continued and went into the living room. Again no one was there. Myka went to the dining room.

Myka saw a man standing in the corner, "Hands up, you're under arrest." It looked like he was bringing up a weapon and she fired the Tesla. In a second he dropped to the ground.

Claudia came in and looked at the table, "That's it. The game."

John came in, "Call Mrs. Frederic. She'll want to know. And don't touch it." John went back to the living room and up the stairs. Myka was close behind. Claudia was calling Mrs. Frederic and securing the man that got hit with the Tesla.

The first bedroom door John opened, he found them. The boy and his father had been tied up. They were put on either side of the bed like book ends. John put his finger to his lips to motion to keep quiet. He and Myka finished going through the other rooms. Nothing else suspect was in those rooms. They went back and freed the boy and his father.

When they got downstairs, Mrs. Frederic was there. She was already putting the game back in its box. She looked up as they came into the room, "Good work, John. It's all here."

"Well, if it wasn't for these two, we wouldn't be here. Seems like, the two men were working with Judi." John pointed to the boy, "She was young Ben's stepmother. Then got a divorce and was still using them. Her muscle moved in after the bank job. They weren't the smartest. The loot was put in the bath tub." He sat at the table. "I have everything back I need. You have your weapons."

"Yes, thank you John. I am going to wrap this up. Give my best to Gloria. We'll see you next time." Mrs. Frederic was almost ready to leave.

"What about us?" asked Claudia.

Mrs. Frederic smiled, "Why, I think you and Todd should be leaving. Myka can go with you. I'll contact the Marshals and arrange a transfer for tomorrow. John, can you get another room for Todd at the hotel?"

Claudia was almost giddy. John had gotten Todd a suite on the same floor as her room. They had the room key. Claudia was impressed. There were no problems at check-in. She was in the elevator. She knew they would have been wrapped around each other, but there were other people in the elevator with them. It was late. Mrs. Frederic had left as usual. Myka and John were working with the police at the boy's house. Myka and John were giving details to the police for the men that were working with Judi on the bank robbery. They had Henry working with the police to wrap up the arrests of the mobsters. Claudia and Todd almost ran down the hall when they got off the elevator.

The receptionist said that Todd's room was a two bedroom suite. Claudia thought that was odd, but at the moment it did not matter. Todd had to run the key a second time to get the green light on the handle. Finally, the handle moved. Todd staggered into the room with Claudia wrapped around him.

They froze when they heard a glass being set down on the glass coffee table. "Oh good, glad you came too," Artie pulled down his glasses and looked at them. "Hi Todd."

"Artie, what are you doing here?" Claudia almost whined.

"Well, funny thing. You remember those thunderstorms. The airport closed and I could not get a flight out," Artie was smiling. "John was able to get this two bedroom suite. By the way, I have my stuff in there." He pointed to the room on the right. "Oh and Mrs. Frederic called. She said you were to go to bed and if the burns hurt too much, to put another layer of that cream on top."

Claudia stared at him, "Artie." She was desperately hoping that he would go away. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was planning on showing Todd how much she really missed him. Somehow almost turning into a crispy critter made her think that she was going to show him all night long.

"Sorry kids, the instructions were fairly specific. You, little miss, almost died today. You are to go to bed and to sleep. Vanessa will be here tomorrow morning to check on you. Now," Artie got up.

"Alright. Alright." She looked at Artie almost pleading, "I'll head back to my room."

"Good, I have a few things to do. Glad to see you again Todd and good night." Artie shook Todd's hand and went to his room.

Todd took her into his arms, "What did he mean you almost died today?"

"Well, you remember the lightning strike in front of the house with the mobsters?" Claudia asked.

"It knocked us down and fried the car," Todd replied expecting her to finish.

"I kind of tried to stop one of those with my gun, the Tesla?" She saw him nod in recognition of her gun. "It didn't work like I thought or there was a second strike."

"You got hit by lightning? That's what he was talking about, those burns? What happened to you?" Todd asked a little more forceful this time.

Claudia began to worry that he was talking like Kelly did, or at least what Pete said she did. She did not want to scare him off. She wrapped her arms around him, "Now you listen, we were both in a bad situation today and we got out of it. I think because of each other." She paused to catch her breath, "I have to go. If I don't, Artie will be back out here." They heard in the background, 'that's right.' Claudia briefly closed her eyes and shook her head, "Look goodnight. I know better, this isn't going to stop." She kissed him and a long passionate kiss. "Bye."

The next morning, Vanessa and Myka were standing next to her bed. Claudia was startled, "What? What's wrong?"

"I am sorry dear. You did not answer the door or the phones. We got a door pass so we could check on you." Vanessa responded.

Myka added, "We thought something was wrong. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." She looked at the clock. It was nine o'clock. "Tell me he hasn't left yet."

Myka smiled, "No, Todd will get picked up this afternoon. You'll be able to see him. But we do have a busy day. Vanessa will give you that check up and then you can meet Todd for a late breakfast."

**End Part I **

_A/N Please review._


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